Happy Little Mac Pinhole Camera

We have all heard of Macquariums, and I have even built a few, but have you ever heard of a Mac Pinhole Camera? Here is how I built one for International Pinhole Camera day (4/29/07). I just know there is an old Mac sitting in your basement... go ahead, it is time to void the warranty!

I used an old Mac SE for this project. To crack the case, there are just a few screws to pull. They are torx screws, If you do not have a torx screwdriver, a flathead will work. Once the screws are removed, the front pulls off easily. Just get your fingernails along the crack and pull.
Really, it is not that hard to do.

Here are some other instructions on how to crack open a Mac

Once you have the case open, remove all the electronics and discard. You will have to look for screws. Be careful of the monitor, sometimes high voltages can zap you! Wear a long sleeve shirt in case the monitor breaks. Don't worry too much, just be careful.

Create a back "plate" out of foamboard, cardboard or or wood. I used foamboard because it is easy to cut and shape. Basically cut the foamboard so that it covers up the entire back of the inside of the Mac.

Tape all openings that might let light in with aluminum duct tape. I guess you could use other types of tape. Pinhole cameras are not rocket surgery.

Whip up a batch of 5 minute epoxy and carefully glue a piece of matteboard to the opening of the front of the computer (where the screen is). Let it dry overnight. You will want to put a weight on it to hold is while it dries.

Spray paint the inside of the computer and the inside of the front panel flat black. You will need to mask the outside with newspaper to keep the front looking good. Make sure it is all flat black, you do not want light bouncing around in the box! Do this outside, spray paint does not smell too good.

I created a pinhole lens using a piece of aluminum flashing and an old lens cap. Drill a large hole into the lens cap. Cut a piece of flashing so that it will fit into the lens cap. Look carefully at the picture. The lens cap is epoxied on the front of the matteboard for a clean look.

Also create a lens cap (cover) to use as a shutter. I just used a circular piece of matteboard and some blue masking tape.

To make a pinhole in the flashing... Use a #7 or 8 needle (or any other really small diameter needle and stick the back end of it into the eraser of a pencil. Now you can use the pencil (with the needle) to carefully drill a hole into the flashing. The object here is to make as clean a hole as possible. Drill until the needle just barely pokes through the aluminum. then use some 800 grit sandpaper to sand the rough edges around the hole down. Then flip the aluminum over and drill the other side. Sand the rough edges around the hole. Eventually, the needle will be completely through the flashing and the hole will be perfectly smooth. If you put the flashing down on a scanner, you can blow up the image and see that a perfect circle has been formed.

There are many internet resources on how to create a pinhole for a pinhole camera...

Here are some general pinhole camera resources to get you started.

Now that you are finished building your camera, take a deep breath, your creation is fantastic! Take your camera into a darkroom (you do have a dark room, don't you). My darkroom is at the school where I work. Under a red light, load a sheet of photo paper into your camera (shiny side up) by taping it to the back of the inside of the camera using making tape (the blue kind). Put the front of the computer back on and make sure your lens is covered.

Carry your camera outside and set up your picture. When you are ready, remove your lens cap and time your exposure for 60 seconds. I have found that 60 seconds is about right, but you may need to experiment. Recover your lens and take the whole contraption to your darkroom. Develop your paper as usual.

I cheated... the photo comes out as a negative. I dropped the photo on a scanner and inverted it with Photoshop. Alternatively, you could sandwich the pic on another piece of photo paper and hit it with an enlarger light and then develop. I have not done this, but my friend, the photography teacher, says it works!

This is a picture of me, in front of my camera. In the background is an oatmeal box camera also taking a picture of me. David Miller took this picture with a digital point and shoot camera. You can see him in the background of the oatmeal camera shot.

This pic was taken on Sunday April 29 for International Pinhole camera day. Here are links to the final pictures...

From the Mac Camera

From the Oatmeal Camera

Thanks for checking out this Instructable!
Brian